To avoid the disadvantages inherent in the use of hypochlorite solutions in cleaning compositions, manufacturers of these products have developed alternative compositions based on aqueous hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is generally acceptable from a toxicological and environmental standpoint because its decomposition products are oxygen and water. In addition, these compositions are also fiber-safe and color-safe.
Polymeric thickening agents are added to cleaning compositions to increase their residence time on non-horizontal surfaces as well as to enhance the aesthetics of the composition, to provide ease of use, and to suspend other components of the composition. Decomposition of hydrogen peroxide caused by catalytically active substances, such as metal ions, is extremely difficult to prevent. In addition, many of conventional polymeric thickening agents accelerate the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide and are themselves unstable in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Thus, it has been extremely difficult to produce compositions that have the required stability. With excessive decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide, the composition loses its cleaning ability. In addition, decomposition of the polymeric thickening agent reduces the viscosity of the cleaning composition, reducing its ability to cling to non-horizontal surfaces.
Consequently, stabilizers have been developed to improve the stability of thickened hydrogen peroxide containing compositions. Stabilizers are discussed, for example, in Ambuter, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,997,764, and 6,083,422, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Although these stabilizers increase the shelf life of thickened hydrogen peroxide containing compositions, none of these stabilizers is totally satisfactory. Thus, a need exists for thickened hydrogen peroxide containing compositions with increased stability.